GAULOISES YAMAHA TEAM TEST

Phillip Island, Australia
Thursday, March 10, 2005

Ambient temperature: 21 degrees
Track temperature: 31 degrees
Humidity: 64%

YAMAHA MEN WORK HARD IN PHILLIP ISLAND DESPITE MORE RAIN

The pre-season testing programme of Gauloises Yamaha Team duo Valentino Rossi
and Colin Edwards was interrupted by rain again today at Austalia's Phillip
Island circuit. However, after a wet morning, higher temperatures than yesterday
made for more effective testing conditions this afternoon. Both riders continued
to test tyres for Michelin and work on settings and it ended as a useful day
despite the poor weather.

World Champion Rossi, testing alongside the Fortuna Yamaha Team of Ruben Xaus
and Toni Elias as well as his team-mate, was the fastest man on the track
today. He completed 74 laps with a fastest time of 1'30.65. His time was a big
improvement on that recorded yesterday, and well within lap record pace
(1'31.102), but it was still shy of the 1'29.68 set at the circuit three weeks
ago in warmer, drier conditions.

Gauloises Yamaha debutant Edwards completed 71 laps with a best lap of 1'31.00 -
again, slightly slower than the 1'30.60 the American recorded last month.

Spaniard Xaus was third fastest of the four, setting a time of 1'32.32 from 68
laps with his new Fortuna Yamaha Team. Team-mate and countryman Elias completed
90 laps with a best time of 1'32.70 as he continues to adapt to the MotoGP class
and Yamaha's YZR-M1.

Valentino Rossi (1'30.65, 74 laps)

"Unfortunately it was raining again and we lost all of the morning. We did some
good work in the afternoon, but the conditions were not really right for us to
do effective testing. We continued to work on the bike settings but it was
difficult to judge our progress in these bad conditions. I really hope tomorrow
will be better as we still have to fix some settings on the bike."

Colin Edwards (1'31.00, 71 laps)

"We woke up to more rain and the track was soaked in the morning. I did a couple
of laps in the wet just to check settings. It then dried up and we actually did
some good work, spending most of the afternoon testing front tyres and a few
rears. It was a good day despite the weather and the bike was working well; I
feel a lot happier than I did two weeks ago."

Davide Brivio, Gauloises Yamaha Team Director

"Another wet day! We really hope that tomorrow will be better, as it's a long
way to come for most of the time to be useless! We got some work done, but not
as much as we expected. Colin did some laps in the wet and then it dried out a
little, but the track never got dry enough to allow us to do really good work."